Author Topic: Short term review of the keebio KBO-5000  (Read 11377 times)

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Offline gh_pp

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  • Posts: 199
Short term review of the keebio KBO-5000
« on: Thu, 05 August 2021, 00:52:04 »
Previously I reviewed the kbd75v2 with split spacebar here
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=112840.0
(my daily driver ever since, and I have 6 other TKLs which I probably will never use again because I can’t go back to non-split spacebar layout, all the benefits of the kbdv75 apply here)

Then I learned about the keebio SINC, which seems like even better because I can have 4 keys under the thumb cluster instead of kbdv75’s 3.

When the SINC restocked I immediately ordered one and then I found out there’s another KBO-5000 with exploded right cluster and 1x left macro column, which I preferred.

But most importantly the right spacebar on the SINC is vertically aligned with the ‘n’ key while the KBO-5000’s is .25u further out, which is where my right thumb naturally rests.





Compared to the kbdv75, the TKL placement of the home/end/page up/page down is miles better (still can’t locate those keys on the kbdv75 without looking), plus the left macro column for dedicated macro record/play, copy, cut, paste (ctrl insert, shift delete, shift insert on windows – which works across 99% apps including regular windows app + emacs/vim,  cmd c, cmd x, cmd v on macos) works wonder when I’m using the mouse with the right hand. The encoder is a nice to have.

The only downside is that when using both halves in a split configuration, each half is too light and can move around ever slightly.
When pushed together it’s not bad if I use a desk mat. But I preferred having a solid aluminum case like the kbdv75.

And the atmega32u4 MCU (on both the kbo5000 and kbdv75) is showing its age. I have to disable absolutely every QMK feature I can spare so the firmware size won’t overflow. Hopefully STM32 will become mainstream going forward.

With one shot modifiers under the thumb, typing Capitalized words and keyboard shortcuts is effortless. I repurpose the left shift to activate a layer so I can use vim like motion on all apps, getting the best of both world (not having to move my hands away from home rows if I want, and with a TKL layout to have everything I need without accessing layer), while the right shift output ‘_’ when tapped.
With the HHKB backspace placement and additional Del under the thumb, this split configuration is way more ergonomic than all 60/65/HHKB layout.

Besides the MCU issue, the USB-c cable connecting the two halves can be quite finicky when you move the board around.
And one tiny improvement would be to move the Esc key above the Tilde (like the SINC) although I understand that the KBO5000 is a tribute to the OG cherry G80-5000. 

But this is really a true gem since you don’t get to have such a flexible layout in traditional staggered format (you can find a lot of weird layouts with ortho), so I don’t have to relearn typing.

Will follow up with a long term review in some distant future. (Plus I have Dactyl 5x7 on the way, so I think I'm well covered with my almost end game ergonomic layout)
QFR brown x2, Realforce 45G, Type-S, Keycool 22 blue

Previous keyboards: 55G, IBM Model M, Dell AT101W, Fujitsu FKB4725, G80-3000 clear, QFS green, QFS blue

[WTB] Custom keyboard build

Offline TD22057

  • Posts: 177
  • Location: Southern California
Re: Short term review of the keebio KBO-5000
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 25 January 2022, 12:03:59 »
Thanks for posting this.  How do you like it without a case?  The case they link to seems very bulky  - the Sinc case they have seems a lot nicer.

Offline TD22057

  • Posts: 177
  • Location: Southern California
Re: Short term review of the keebio KBO-5000
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 25 February 2022, 23:01:50 »
Here's my completed build w/ box white switches and Matt3o MT3 3277 caps.  Overall I really like it.  I also found this site which has links to some 3-d printed wedges and center layers.  I need something to raise the back up a bit so I'm going to find someone to print these for me and give them a try.

This board is pretty close to what I would design myself.  I'd prefer a bottom row with all 1.25 or 1.5 caps but it's not too bad they way I have it set up.  I build a few ortho-split boards and they work great, but my speed and accuracy always suffered whenever I had to switch to a laptop.  Using this board I get the benefits of a split system, the speed of custom firmware, and can still type on a laptop without any issues.

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« Last Edit: Sun, 27 February 2022, 18:30:17 by TD22057 »

Offline TD22057

  • Posts: 177
  • Location: Southern California
Re: Short term review of the keebio KBO-5000
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 17 March 2022, 18:54:03 »
FYI - highly recommend the case linked in the previous post.  I used treatstock to have someone print the case for me for ~$35 and it's fantastic.  The tenting angle is nice and the LED glow through the sides looks great.

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